HealthCare.gov contract: Politics not a factor, but neither were firm’s ties to failed projects

Washington Post ^ | 12/22/13 | Jerry Markon, Alice Crites

[Libloather]

CGI Federal, the company responsible for building the problem-plagued Web site for the Affordable Care Act, won the job because of what federal officials deemed a “technically superior” proposal, according to government documents and people familiar with the decision.

Not considered in the 2011 selection process was the history of numerous executives at CGI Federal, who had come from another company that had mishandled at least 20 other government ­information technology projects more than a decade ago. But federal officials were not required to examine that long-term track record, which included a highly publicized failure to automate retirement benefits for millions of federal workers.

[Libloather]

The Husseins gave loot to their friends. Just more of the same.

[Tax-chick]

Exactly. That’s not really “politics” as generally understood: it’s simple self-serving corruption, just as it would be if the CEO of a private company hired a known incompetent contractor because they were classmates of his wife.

[Liz]

...glitch-plagued O/care (and healthcare.gov rollout) were 2013's top news story...........

Now's a good time for campaign-era articles to go viral---how Obama
bragged about him and his campaign team's tech savvy---how they ran and
won, financed by their clever use of tech.

===========================================

CRONY CAPITALISM---Michele's schoolmate's company raked in big bucks for the botched web site.

Toni Townes-Whitley, Senior Vice President at "CGI Federal" for
Civilian Agency programs, healthcare.gov designers is Princeton 1985,
same dumbed-down class as Michelle Obama. Both are members of
the racial separatist organization----Association of Black Princeton Alumni.

"I wake up every day wondering how I ever graduated from Princeton."

======================================================

We, the people, ripped off by CGI for $$hundreds of millions wonder, too.

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

[PapaNew]

Government is like an enterprise after you take away reason and accountability.

[madprof98]

. . . according to government documents and people familiar with the decision

Well, of course, those people would know. Good thing our intrepid investigative journalists decided to ask them.

[JoeFromSidney]

"I wake up every day wondering how I ever graduated from Princeton."

Considering the number of spelling and grammatical errors in Michelle's Princeton Thesis, I wonder how she graduated. The document is an exercise in Black racism, and clearly demonstrates her lack of competence. Princeton should be ashamed of ever letting her graduate.

[hal ogen]

Criminals all. Justice must find them. Merry Christmas!

[maddog55]

The government doesn’t deem contract proposals as technically superior it’s usually technically capable which usually means they can probably do it at the least cost because they always want to “save” money. Or it’s as simple as the contractor knows the right person.

Cost on the other hand is a result of the way the contracts are written. Usually piss poor with specifics down to a gnats azz that no one could ever build to so the lawyers get involved and a large majority of what the government wanted and thought it had in the contract is out of scope. I’m not defending CGI by any means but 9 out of 10 times if something is built to spec and or the contract it’ll never work and then you make your money by making it work with contract mods and then there’s delays etc.

[PhiloBedo]

Yep . Money laundering.

[MadIsh32]

It is incredible how little people understand about federal IT procurement, especially the media

[Starboard]

It is incredible how little people understand about federal IT procurement, especially the media

**************

To your point, the article states: "As is tradition, the selection process was strictly sheltered from political considerations and political appointees at CMS or elsewhere in the administration, according to numerous former and current CMS employees.

"Strictly sheltered" is the desired appearance, but not necessarily the reality. Senior agency management does often influence who is involved in the contract selection process. And often some of those selected understand and are in synch with the desires of management. Nothing has to be in writing; its all done in the form of an understanding. I'm not saying this was the case at CMS but this situation does occur in the federal contracting environment.

You are absolutely right about how few people have any understanding of federal IT procurements. Usually the vendors (especially the larger companies) understand those processes a lot better than the government folks do.

[Liz]

Yeah-—Mrs O’s thesis runs the intellectual gamut-—from A all the way to B.